AU Women’s Soccer Gets NCAA Berth

AURORA, Ill. November 7, 2005 - Aurora University’s women’s soccer team will represent the Northern Illinois-Iowa Conference in the 2005 NCAA Division III Women’s Soccer Championships. The Spartans received a Pool B berth, one of four in the country, and will travel to the University of Chicago on Saturday, November 12, 2005, to take on the host Maroons. Game time has been set for 11:00 a.m. AU finished the regular season with a 15-6-1 overall record and captured the Northern Illinois-Iowa Conference women’s soccer championship, the seventh such title for the Spartans in the 11th and final season of the NIIC.

The NCAA bid is the Spartans third selection to the NCAA Championships since the 2001 season. In their previous appearances, AU is 0-2 with defeats coming in 2002 against Loras College (5-1) and in 2001 against Lawrence University (2-1).

Leading the way for the Spartans in the NCAA tournament is sophomore forward Lyndsey Mica (10 goals, five assists, three game winning goals and 25 points). Joining Mica in leading AU is freshman forward Allison Bailey (nine goals, six assists, two game winning goals and 24 points), sophomore wing Laura Wagley (nine goals, three assists, two game winning goals and 21 points) and junior midfielder Lauren Thomas (eight goals, four assists, two game winning goals and 20 points), while the AU defense has allowed just 0.93 goals per game and shut out nine opponents on the season.

The Spartans enter the NCAA tournament on a five-game unbeaten streak and coming off an impressive NIIC tournament in which they defeated Rockford College (8-0) and Concordia University, IL (6-1).

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